The 20 Worst Phones of the Century, and How They Got That Way
Some of these you remember — and might even have owned. Others are justly forgotten. But they all earn a richly deserved spot in the Bad Phone Hall of Fame.
By Jared Newman and Harry McCracken
These days, nearly every significant phone is a touch-screened rectangle with a quorum of features, from voice assistant to GPS navigation, that are industry-wide standards. They’re great — but most of them are great in pretty similar ways.
The history of terrible phones, however, is pockmarked with models that were genuinely unique. Some were too clever for their own good; others weren’t clever enough. They added new features they didn’t need, or left out ones they did need — or, oftentimes, did both.
Such phones don’t merit celebration, exactly. But they’re worth commemorating nonetheless. Maybe they even offer some lessons for the companies designing new models even as we speak.
Herewith, our picks for the 20 most memorably bad phones introduced since 2000 — plus another five that came oh-so-close to making our list.
